Paintbrush holder



Dec. 12, 1950 J. COMFORT 2,533,354

PAINTBRUSH HOLDER Filed Jan. 13, 1949 INVENTOR JOHN RT ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 12, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHCE PAINTBRUSH HOLDER John Comfort, Nahant, Mass.

Application January 13, 1949, Serial No. 70,660

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to an attachment for paint cans and more particularly to one adapted to receive and retain paint brushes and hold the same in an accessible position. The device is more particularly designed to engage a standard gallon paint can, or it can be adapted to engage any other suitable paint can or solvent container.

The principal object is to provide for the use of painters a device for holding or storing a number of paint brushes which have been used and are saturated with paint, the brushes being suspended in an open top container; preferably a solvent container, in order to prevent hardening of the paint on the brushes while the latter are in storage.

Another object of the invention is to provide additional paint brush holding means outside of the first named holding means and adapted to suspend the paint brushes beyond the outer wall of the container.

With the foregoing and other objects in view that appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof, the preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated.

Figure 1 is a plan View of my improved paint brush holder; Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the flange or lip for engaging the top of a paint can or a can containing a suitable paint solvent; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modification; Fig. 4 is an isometric view of the device in operative engagement with an open top container for paint or paint solvents; and Fig. 5 is another modification of the device illustrating additional paint brush holding means for holding or suspending brushes both in and outside of the container.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, I represents an annular ring of thin sheet steel or other suitable material having preferably symmetrically spaced cut-away recesses or notches 2, in the annular member. In Figure 1, these notches have sides 2' diverging from the inner circular edge of annular member I, and ending at the rear edges l of said notches. The rear notch is located at a suflicfent 1y the cuter or peripheral edge 7 er i to leave a marginal area will net cut through and 1e space 6 within the in shape and unreholding devices extending into said space which could interfere with paint brushes suspended in the notches. Each notch 2 varies in width from its mouth 1 to its rear edge l, in order that a paint brush may be inserted in the notch, and the handle of brush 8 (Fig. 4) may be suspended in the notch at some point along the length of the handle, which is wider than the distance across notch, as at 99, Fig. i.

The annular ring I is provided with a depending flange or lip l@, which extends below said ring, as illustrated in F'gs. 2 and 4. This lip Hi engages the can or container I I fo containing paint or a suitable paint solvent, as shown in Fig. i, where the annular ring I is placed on top of said container l Referring to the modification, Fig. 3, the construction is substantially the same as in Fig. 1, except that the sides 2' of the notches converge to the rear edge 4 of said notches instead of diverging, as in Fig. 1; thus, the mouth 7 of the notch is wider than the distance across the notch at the rear edge i.

Referring to the modification, Fig. 5, this construction illustrates a series of notches on the inside of the ring I, and a second series of notches cut into the outer peripheral area of the ring. These latter notches are identified by reference characters i2, and they may be either converging or diverging from a point of reference, as in the case of Figs. 1 and 3. The purpose of this construction is to provide a means for holding brushes suspended in the container by the inner series of notches, or by suspending the brushes outside of the container in the outer series of notches. This construction is not strictly within the definition of annular, as the outside perimeter of the member 1, is not circular, although the opening 6, within the member I, is annular.

The notches in the annular ring 1 may be of different sizes in order to accommodate varying widths of brush handles.

lip it, in modification, Fig. 5, because of the shape of the ring, may be divided into several lips, :9, shown in dotted lines.

In operation, the painter drops annular ring I over the top of an open paint can or paint solvent container 1 i, and inserts his brushes into the notches, the lip iii holding the ring in retaining engagement with the can. In case the painter desires to suspend the brushes in the paint can itself to be ready for use, the paint will drip 01f brushes into the paint in the can. However, in case he is through painting he may drop the paint holder over a can containing paint solvent 3 and, insert the brushes in the holder and suspended in the solvent, so that the paint will not harden on the brushes.

In case the painter desires to relieve himself temporarily of a brush while painting, he may, at his option, insert the brush in one of the outer notches l2 which overhangs the can, so that it will just be suspended in air; or, perhaps he may wish to hold a dry brush in one of said notches before he is ready to paint with it.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A paint-brush holder for paint containers comprising a member having an inner circular opening therein, a plurality of varying size notches 15 14 in the member extending outwardly from the inner circular opening towards the outer periphery of the holder, lips extending below the mem- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Jetmund Nov. 26, 1918 1,471,712 Sohnle Oct. 23, 1923 1,629,213 Hughes May 17, 1927 1,800,855 Bostrom Apr. 14, 1931 

